[Baiyutang] Wind-dried clothes

A few days later, Ouyang Chun arrived in Yangzhou.He pretended to be a top-notch traveler in the Errou shop on Yuan Street, ordered a dime of wine and two dishes, ate and drank leisurely, but stared at the Qin Lou Chu restaurant across the street, watching the wandering customers coming and going, The bees and butterflies are like eagles and falcons searching for the whereabouts of cunning rabbits in the withered grass.

It was evening, the golden crow was hanging down the mountain, and the jade rabbit was rising to the east. The summer heat was still there, and people were still sweating profusely from the steam.Suddenly, the sound of horseshoes came from the official road in the distance, and Ouyang Chun caught a glimpse of a handsome white horse carrying a gentleman in green clothes passing by the door and resting in front of the brothel.The gentleman in green got off his horse and knocked on the half-closed courtyard door.The bustard opened the door and invited the man in.Xianggong bowed to the old bustard, and went inside with ease.It was at the moment when he turned around to bow to the old bustard that Ouyang Chun saw clearly the face of the visitor.

This gentleman was born with a fair face, a pair of sword-shaped eyebrows slanted into the temples, but with thin eyes and a mustache on his lips. He has a good appearance.Ouyang Chun travels all over the rivers and lakes, and he knows some news, such as this number, and he has the best inner skills. Ouyang Chun knows the details, even he is in love with the woman in the Qixia Pavilion in Yangzhou.

Ouyang Chun threw the broken silver into the wine dish, got up and went downstairs, walked into the narrow alleys around the brothel, intending to sneak in.

The courtyard is quiet and cool, not a cave.The sky is dimming, the sun is slanting, and the shadow of the plantain is deep.All the way through the flowers and willows, the old bustard led the way, and Zhang Shu followed behind with his hands down.The madam chatted about some irrelevant gossip, mostly about what kind of maid the girl had been doing, what strange cakes she had eaten, what jokes she had heard from neighbors, and so on.

Zhang Shu was very interested. In the past, he was too lazy to pay attention to the old bustard's gossip, but now he made some witty remarks from time to time, which made the bustard giggle.Near Nongliuwu, Zhang Shu said: "Mom, have you heard of Baifengyulutao?"

The old bustard said: "Who doesn't know? It's really unique in Songjiang. The skin is soft and thin like mullet, the flesh is as crystal clear as ice and snow, the juice is as sweet as honey, and it melts in the mouth. How can it compare to the flat peaches of the Queen Mother? It's a pity that ripe peaches are easy to eat." It rots, and within three or two days, it rots until there is only a puddle of gravy left. Concubine Pang Gui, who lives in the palace, wants to eat one, and the emperor will send a horse that travels [-] miles a day to use ice carvings in Songjiang Mansion. After the box was installed, there were also replacement ice boxes at the post stations along the way. They were ridden all the way, changed boxes all the way, and sent them to the palace wearing stars and moons. I only ate this jade dew peach once in my life, and it was at the official banquet. It is as big as an old man's fist, and the taste can be said to be a fairy in the world."

Zhang Shu laughed and said, "It's not that Zhang Shu is disrespectful, but it's because my mother didn't realize that Yulu Tao'er is as big as the mouth of a bowl."

The old bustard said: "Empty talk has no basis, only when the husband sees it will count."

The bulging bag was taken off several times, and a large black wooden box was taken out from it, and the old bustard leaned over it to have a look.When the black box was opened, the old bustard only felt the air-conditioning hit his face, and his whole body was as cool as entering a cave carved out of ice and jade.Looking intently, I saw a huge piece of ice in the black box, with white air steaming out, and three concave holes were cut in it, which could fit three jade dew peaches. Yin Hongfeixia, all of them are the size of a bowl, just as Zhang Shu said.

The old bustard was about to marvel, but unexpectedly, Zhang Shu closed the box, held it respectfully with both hands, and presented it in front of the old bustard, saying: "If mother is willing to teach Zhang Shu to redeem Fen Lan and go away, not only these three jade dew peaches, but also Zhang Shu." A lot of rare gifts, honoring my mother. Mom also knows how to be a human being, so don't hesitate."

The old bustard took the box from Zhang Shu's hand and said with a smile: "Xianggong and Fenlan are in love with each other, how can I have a reason to beat a mandarin duck? I can only be happy for Xianggong and Fenlan."

Zhang Shu made a bow and said, "Zhang Shu thanked Fen Lan here."

After entering Nongliuwu, he heard the sound of the pipa, and when Zhang Shu entered, the old bustard screened the door and retreated.

The sky is turning dark, and the twilight is thinning.Ouyang Chun borrowed the grass and trees from the yard, went around to the backyard of Lane Liuwu, and hung out the window like a gecko, soaked the window paper with his saliva, put his eyes on the small hole and looked in, the first thing he saw was the A woman who is "Fen Lan".

Fen Lan is sitting obliquely in front of a pear wood carving dressing table, with clouds piled up in her bun, pearl hairpins on her head, snow-green single gown, veiled gauze, jade neck slightly bowed, and she is fiddled with a pipa by candlelight to try out the sound, the clang fluctuates from weak to strong The sound of the strings is intermittent, not a melody.Zhang Shu didn't remove his bag, but leaned against the moon window of the group of flowers, and didn't make a sound, only listening to her playing the pipa.Ouyang Chun thought, although this woman is not a charming woman, she has a unique charm, and Zhang Shu is not to blame for her obsession.

Fen Lan saw the visitor from the mirror, and then got up and asked the maid to clean up Zhang Shu, while she brewed Tuancha by herself.

The two sat opposite each other, chatting with each other for a while, before Zhang Shu told Fen Lan about the redemption.Ouyang Chun sighed secretly, wondering if this woman knew that it was a human life that fulfilled this love affair.

The golden beast in the room is breathing out smoke, and the twilight is low. It is the time when the two are in love, and suddenly they hear the sound of knocking on the door.When Ouyang Chun heard this, he immediately became alert.

Fen Lan stood up and opened the door.Outside the door is a bustard leading a man in brocade.Fen Lan glanced back at Zhang Shu, and asked, "Mom, what do you mean? Master Zhang is still staying tonight..."

"Daughter, don't miss my mother's point of view. It's not you that this master wants to see today, but the person sitting in your room..." The old bustard cast a wink into the room.

A few voices came from inside the house: "It's friend Li. Please come in, please come in."

Zhang Shu stepped forward and said softly to Fen Lan: "You stay away, I will finish talking with Mr. Li in a few words." Fen Lan heard this, sighed in an inaudible manner, and followed the old bustard out of Nongliuwu .

After closing the door, Mr. Li accepted his head and bowed, but Zhang Shu didn't go to help him, but watched him bow with a smile, and said: "Friend Li is so polite."

When Mr. Li looked up, Ouyang Chun saw from the window that he was around the age of a weak crown, his face was thin, and there was an old scar on his right eyebrow with deep bone visible, at first glance, it seemed to be broken at the waist of the eyebrow.

Ouyang Chun was startled, wondering inwardly, "Isn't this the scholar who disturbed things in the Fu'an Inn?"

>>

The next day, a young man came from a horse in front of the brothel, dressed in a moon-white robe, tall and handsome, as bright as a pearl.The young master rolled his saddle off his horse in front of the door, and seeing a crowd of people around the brothel, all of them looking out, he asked an old man, "Dare to ask my father, what happened here?"

The old man looked at the young man and saw that he had an extraordinary bearing, so he confessed to him: "Last night, somehow, the water leaked from this tile fence, and half of the yard was burned down. The madam in the hall was in a hurry, and she called the government. Find out about the water."

After the young master thanked the old man, he raised his eyebrows and thought: "If you didn't make a mistake, this is the place where Zhang Shu stayed. He should have arrived half a day before me. He must have returned to the brothel last night. It was last night that water came out of this place. There must be something strange about how the water went."

It turned out that this son was Bai Yutang who followed Zhang Shu to Yangzhou.

Just as he was thinking, a group of gentlemen walked out of the door of the brothel, crowding around the audience.The old bustard rushed out from behind and shouted: "My lords, I didn't find out why, so I just left. Where will I leave the orphans and widows of my slave family?"

The leading gentleman said: "We have searched back and forth according to your bustard's words, and there is no one. From our point of view, this yard is just flooded. If you want to ask for justice, ask God for it." ! We can't control it!"

When the old bustard heard this, she sat on the threshold and cried loudly.The officials looked away and whispered to each other, secretly spitting: "Unlucky."

Seeing that crying was useless, the bustard wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, coaxing the crowd to watch: "Go, go, go! It's so interesting! It's just bad luck!"

After the crowd cleared up, the bustard got up and looked away, lamenting.Bai Yutang rushed forward, looked at the bustard and cupped his hands and said, "Mama, is the house where the criminal Zhang Shu usually lives is on fire?"

When the old bustard heard these words, he was startled, but his face remained expressionless, he only looked at him from the corner of his eyes: "Where did this gentleman come from?"

Bai Yutang took off the adornment around his waist, held it up to the old bustard, and said, "A certain is a spy from the Songjiang Mansion, who has tracked down the criminal all the way to this point. If my mother can help someone, the cost of repairing the pavilions in the hall can be fully borne by the Songjiang Mansion." This ornament was carved by Bai Yutang for the convenience of finding a craftsman when dealing with the government, ordinary people can't see the clue.He thought to himself, since he dared to ask the government to search, this old bustard must not be the same as Zhang Shu. Seeing this old bustard rushing back and forth, he was only worried because the yard was burned to the ground, and the cost of repairing it was not a small amount. If he promised to subsidize it , this old bustard must know everything.

Sure enough, when the old bustard heard this, she was elated, and hurriedly led Bai Yutang in, and kept talking about what happened last night. Mr. Li with a Beijing accent looked for him, and soon after nightfall there was a fire in the hall, and he told Bai Yutang about it.Bai Yutang secretly remembered it in his heart.

The old bustard said again: "I looked at the number before, and felt that he was an embarrassing person. When the adults said it, it was in line with my guess. As expected, he was a beheader." After speaking, she tentatively asked, "I don't know which one What did Shu do in Songjiang Mansion?"

Bai Yutang also had no intention of hiding it from her: "Kill someone."

The old bustard hurriedly waved the silk handkerchief in her hand up and down, saying "Bah bah" repeatedly, and said, "It's so early in the morning, why are all the bad luck together?"

Passing by the stable, the old bustard raised his handkerchief, pointed to a white horse in the stable, and said: "This is the mount that was numbered. He disappeared last night, but left this horse here. The gentleman surnamed Li took a horse." The horse is tied outside the yard. When I went to see it this morning, it was gone. I don’t know if it was ridden away or stolen. Zhang counted the one who was cut into thousands of knives, and he was thinking of the restaurant to pay him for the fodder. See the old man another day Sell ​​this horse!"

Bai Yutang thought to himself: There is a stable in the courtyard, but the horses are tied outside the courtyard, that Li probably has already paved the way for him to escape.Just as he was thinking about it, he heard a woman's tender voice not far away: "Mom, this horse is sold, and it's not bad to keep it here."

Looking back, Bai Yutang saw a slender and beautiful woman walking towards this side, walked up to the white horse, and rubbed the nose bone of the horse with her hand.When the woman saw Bai Yutang, she just knelt down and blessed him.

The old bustard snorted coldly: "There is land, but there is no hay fodder for five qian per day."

The woman said: "Then it will be deducted from my monthly money."

The old bustard said: "You are a kind and righteous person." After speaking, he said to Bai Yutang, "This is Miss Fenlan from the hall." Finally, he leaned into Bai Yutang's ear again and whispered: "It's the number of sheets. That guy is a good friend."

Fen Lanxing squinted at Bai Yutang, looking up and down: "Is this gentleman?"

The old bustard was about to introduce, but Bai Yutang was the first to rush: "Coincidentally, at Brother Zhang's request, I want to send something to Nongliuwu. Brother Zhang is not here, but Miss Lan will take care of it for now."

Bai Yutang saw that Fen Lan came to visit the white horse left behind by Zhang Shu, so he knew that she and Zhang Shu really had a relationship, maybe they were the same as that Zhang Shu, and they had passed through their voices, maybe it was Zhang Shu who asked her to take care of his mount, It would be useful to come back in the future, so he didn't tell the truth as a spy, but just tried to find another way to talk.

When Fen Lan heard this, she said to the bustard: "Please, mother..." As she spoke, she glanced at the door of the moon cave, signaling the bustard to leave.

The old bust understood, and said to himself: "It seems that this spy has his own plan, so I don't need to wade through this muddy water." She just hoped that Bai Yutang would be blessed, turned around and walked away.

Fen Lan led Bai Yutang to look into the depths of the courtyard, and said as he led the way: "Unfortunately, last night the Lane Liuwu of my slave's house was flooded, and the attic was burned down. Now I am temporarily staying in another courtyard. Do you want to rest in another courtyard, or do you want to rest?" Go there to get Liuwu?"

Bai Yutang came here because of Zhang Shu's traces, so he was eager to know his whereabouts, but because he didn't know how much Lan knew, he didn't dare to startle the snake, so he only made side remarks: "I heard that when the water in this courtyard came, Brother Zhang seemed to be there. Still in the courtyard, isn't the girl worried about his safety?"

"He used to come and go without a trace like this," Fen Lan said with a wry smile, "At that time, my family was playing poker with my mother and a few sisters, when I heard a servant hurriedly came to report that the water was taken away, I went out to have a look, I realized that it was the Nongliuwu of the slave's house, and the fire was so powerful that it was really scary. After rushing away, Zhang Lang and his friend surnamed Li disappeared. He left as soon as he left, and it was really unreasonable for him to accidentally burn down the courtyard of the slave's house."

Bai Yutang thought: "She must be telling the truth. If she communicated with Zhang Shu, she could pretend she didn't know about it, but she seemed to vaguely know Zhang Shu's origin in her words, so she guessed that the fire was Zhang Shu. It turned out to be just an idiot."

After thinking about it, he changed the topic: "Brother Zhang, did you tell the girl before that you would entrust me to deliver such an object?"

This is Bai Yutang's nonsense, where Fen Lan found out, he could only shake his head.

Bai Yutang was waiting for her to shake his head.He said: "The girl doesn't know either, this object was not handed over randomly?"

Fen Lan aroused his curiosity, wanting to see the non-existent thing, so he asked: "Can Zhang Lang tell you how to deliver it?"

Bai Yutang shook his head and said, "This thing needs to be exchanged for another rare item, but brother Zhang has never told the girl about it, and now brother Zhang has disappeared, how can I entrust this thing to the girl casually?"

When Fen Lan heard this, she raised her eyebrows and said, "What should I do?"

Bai Yutang was stunned, and said: "Could it be that brother Zhang hid that rare thing in Nongliuwu? Can I ask Fang Zhun to let me go and find it?"

Fen Lan pondered: "It's not impossible, it's just that Liuwu has been burned to nothingness, I don't know..."

Bai Yutang said: "That rare item is not easy to burn away—may I ask you to lead the way."